VANILLA & FIG SCONES
Posted on July 02 2025
Tender, delicately scented scones ready in under an hour.
Vanilla & Fig Scones
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Breads
Servings
8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Author:
Curio Kitchen
Vanilla is at once warm, creamy, sweet, and floral — its exceptionally complex flavor profile includes over 200 aromatic compounds! Wonderful in baked goods, it also amplifies the caramel notes of dried figs. For this recipe, we added a hint of brightness with lemon zest and nutmeg. Serve these vanilla-scented scones for breakfast or as an afternoon treat.
Note: You can make the ‘dry mix’ ahead and freeze it for up to a week in an airtight container. To make the scones, transfer the frozen mix to a bowl and follow the instructions below for adding the liquids, shaping, and baking. If you don’t have spelt flour on hand, substitute more all-purpose flour.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup (150g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (74g) spelt flour
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- 2½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (5g) sea salt
-
¼ teaspoon (0.5g) ground nutmeg
- 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick; 85g) unsalted butter, frozen
- ½ cup (75g) diced, dried Turkish figs (from 8–10 figs)
- ¼ cup (57g) buttermilk
- ¼ cup (57g) heavy cream
- 1 large egg
-
2 teaspoons (11g) vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon (12g) turbinado sugar (coarse natural sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (14g) heavy cream, for brushing
For the dry mix:
For the liquid mix:
For the topping:
Directions
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Zest the lemon into the bowl, then whisk gently to mix the dry ingredients.
- Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater into the dry mixture. Use a pastry cutter (or two dinner knives) to cut the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed and in pea-sized crumbles. Add the figs and toss to distribute them evenly.
- Put the buttermilk, cream, egg, and vanilla paste into an oversized measuring cup and whisk until smoothly combined.
- Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula and quick, strong strokes to fold the ingredients until just combined. Working in the bowl, gently knead the dough 5–6 times until no dry flour remains.
- Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper (cut to the size of the baking sheet). Pat the dough into an 8-inch disk and cut it into 8 wedges using a bench scraper or sharp knife. Use the parchment to lift the dough onto a plate and put the plate into the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Stir the topping sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Pour the tablespoon of cream into a separate small bowl.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and transfer it, using the parchment, to a baking sheet. Gently separate and rearrange the wedges so that there is about 2 inches of space between them. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with the sugar-salt topping.
- Bake until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top, 20–25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before serving.
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